I have started a new website dedicated to the Boston Red Sox news. One focus is Wily Mo Pena information but we also seek to draw inspiration from "The Onion" in our critical analysis of the Evil Empire.

Here's an interesting post over at Replacement Level (aptly titled "Don't Jump Off the Ledge Just yet") discussing win-loss projections for the AL's chances at playoff spots. The rallying cry is that although the Yanks don't sport much of a chance to take the division (7.8%), they do have a good (54.4%) chance to get the wild card.

It occurred to me that if we played just a hair over .500 ball the rest of the year (60-59), we'd still have 90 wins. The projection I linked has us going 74-45 (ending 104-58).

Or we could all take a deep breath, knock on a big block of wood, and NOT BRING THE HAMMER OF FATE CRASHING DOWN on the Sox. I guess my superstitious side didn't go away completely in '04, cause every time I hear someone say this kind of thing I cringe. I expect this type of talk from the jinxmasters in Bristol, not from inside the Nation. Let's just appreciate how well the team is playing and not crow about insurmountable leads in a way that's just daring someone to knock us off...

I #()*#$ing love this team. Maybe it's the return of sunlight to Boston (more aptly: the crazylands of Lowell) after too long a delay, but I love these guys.

Now that my brief bout of insanity regarding Matsuzaka is over, it's incredible to know you may see something historic and beautiful every 5 games. I still pinch myself wondering if we really do have Matsuzaka, and if Papelbon really has become a death machine out of the bullpen. It seems completely impossible.

I still can't trust Beckett, and I am still leery about JD Drew, but I can't help but think it doesn't matter.

I still have Yankee fans "bragging" to me right now, saying how we'll blow the division because we "always do." (As if not winning the division, but still winning the WORLD SERIES doesn't count.) What should I say back? "You could be right..."? No way! More like "Go f--- yourself."!

The way I look at it, we absolutely have bragging rights until they win a World Series. I waited my whole life for this and I am taking advantage of it. (Note: This can be done without being a jerk. I learned a LOT from Yankee fans about the wrong way to brag: "your team has some silly curse on it", "your city/region is inferior", "you were born a loser and you love it," "you have a Calvinist attitude because you're from New England," etc. You know, BS like that.

Pokerwolf, that is cool. It's a little harsh on the top payroll teams in a way, though -- we have to be the best team in the league to be outperforming expectations. But it gives a very good idea of how the middle-of-the-pack teams are doing.

my thoughts on this 10.5 game lead....soaking it up, i love it. im excited for every game in a way ive never been, RSN is taking over my life and i expect the rest of the season to continue this way.

however, on the same token i'm not getting ahead of myself and thinking that we're a lock for the division. hell, it looks awesome right now and we're definately favorites. but this is baseball and anything can happen.

we're finishing up month 2/6 - still 4 months to go. im more confident in this squad then i ever have been before, but if there's anything i've learned, its never count out the yankees. i was getting ready to write them off last season, then they rolled into boston and took 5 games.

be excited, soak it up, but don't be too cocky. after all, red sox fans should know best about coming back against all odds after being beaten down in the corner.

Where I might have once been waiting for the inevitable dark cloud to pass over the bright Red Sox summer, 2004 washed that completely away. This team could be 20 GB right now and I'd still think they had a shot. I saw them come back from 3 outs from a ALCS sweep. Anything is possible.

People can be cautious, I know that. But it still strikes me as too close to hearing CHB's voice warning: "Don't get too happy, because the goblins'll get ya!"

Sean:Now that my brief bout of insanity regarding Matsuzaka is over, it's incredible to know you may see something historic and beautiful every 5 games.

I've been trying to think of a proper response to this, but I'm not doing so well.

I guess it's enough to know you now see your prior comments as insane.

It was insane, but part of me stands by it. Matsuzaka went through a stretch where he just seemed like he'd never been a pitcher in a major situation before. That 5-0 start against the Mariners the second time through took the cake, just a complete meltdown.

Plus, regardless of how well their offense was clicking, getting smushed by the Yankees is never an encouraging sign. Thank god he's back.

not sure if you saw this but Daisuke has been named player of the week. Story is here.

Article Headline:Boston's Matsuzaka named Bank of America Presents the American League Player of the Week

And I thought sponsorship nowadays couldn't have gotten any worse. It's come to a point where the sentences aren't even comprehensible. I thought the peak of insanity was "Boston Globe presents the Olympia Sports Pre-game show" but I guess I was wrong.

Just a horrible piece of yellow journalism, completely ignoring logic, history and baseball reality. The writer seems to believe that Andruw Jones just needs to listen to the hitting coach, and all of a sudden he'll be hitting .300 with less k's, and he'll still have the same OBP/SLG!

Why not? Haven't we all learned that just because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it never will?

And why confine the list to these teams, why use only the 10.5 lead? Why not use other large leads, like the team nobody wants to hear about, who our 07 team reminds me of more and more with each passing day?

* * * *

Guess what folks? There is no such thing as "the hammer of fate". Just like there's no such thing as a tooth fairy, an Easter bunny or Zeus. (I'd throw in a few others but I don't want to start a war.)

If you need to put your brakes on because you can't stand having so much fun, then you will. But I sure wish you'd stop trying to rain on our parade.

L-girl said And why confine the list to these teams, why use only the 10.5 lead? Why not use other large leads, like the team nobody wants to hear about, who our 07 team reminds me of more and more with each passing day? .

Not meant to be a rain on your parade (though with the Duck Boats does it matter?). Those teams are the only teams 10.5 ahead at 43 games (same as ours), so I went and looked at those world series in those years. Only one of those teams didn't make the world series.

So, as I go put on my "why not us" t-shirt to settle in my chair and watch the Eck explain why the Sox are so much better than the yankees. I repeat, Why not the Sox?

No series in 1902, though. So Pirates and 2001 Mariners both didn't play in World Series. And, technically, since the Pirates won the NL, that really was the best you could do.

All this talk of early leads inspired me to do some research:

I figured the 1984 Tigers, with their 35-5 start, must've had an early 10 game lead at least, but no--the Jays kept pace, even closing to within 3.5 games on June 6th. The Tigers eventually won the division by 15.

Then I checked the '87 Brewers. Despite starting 13-0, they lost first place by their 31st game.

I guess all I can hope for is we don't dump Drew at the end of the year like we did Edgar. For someone who should be walking and hitting... at least he's walking. .254 BA and .357 SLG is not what we need from an outfielder.

Yeah, it's caused more by the .264 BABIP, compared to his .348 career line. He'll get there, but it's ugly nonetheless. I'd feel better if he'd been crushing warning-track flies for the past month, but I don't even recall many well-hit balls that were snagged.

Wakes with the rough start, relatively. But he sucked in the first against the jays as well.

That's the thing about knucklers, you can really hammer it if its up in the zone. Still, I am not worried about Wake too much. I'm worried about the offense. Would be nice if they showed up and put 5+ runs on the board for once in one of Wakes starts.

Captain. Intangibles. Look at those intangibles on display. Many other players would've picked up the ball and just thrown it into the stands in frustration, but Jeter is such a great, wonderful, sensual man he just picks the ball up after his horrible fielding performance.

I HATE this heineken commercial. No, I don't want my girlfriend to look like a beer bottle, because that's freaking disturbing. Also, the pussycat dolls are the worst excuse for music without the last name 'Manilow' or 'G'.

I HATE this heineken commercial. No, I don't want my girlfriend to look like a beer bottle, because that's freaking disturbing. Also, the pussycat dolls are the worst excuse for music without the last name 'Manilow' or 'G'.

Hells yeah, that commercial is complete shit. I also hate that song, laaaaame.

Oh goodie, the Heineken commercial is on again...just wanted to bring another point to light. "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" - sean already covered the point of his girlfriend not looking like a beer bottle, i'd just like to bring up the fact that i like a nice cold beer - not a HOT beer. that's just gross.

yes, mother's day miracle is on later tonight. ill be at my girlfriends house so thank god for the slingbox!